KENNEWICK -- Dave Villwock can be a polarizing figure.
Some people think the driver of the U-16 Miss Elam Plus can be egotistical and arrogant, among other things.
Others think he can be a good ambassador to fans. He goes out of his way to help opponents when they are in need.
Whatever the case, there is no doubt Villwock is one of unlimited hydroplane racing's best drivers ever.
He has 58 career victories. Only the retired Chip Hanauer (61 wins) and the late Bill Muncey (62) have more.
Villwock could conceivably tie Muncey this year if he were to win the remaining scheduled races. Or it might wait until next year. Or he might never win another race. It won't matter.
He's earned the respect of his peers for his skills.
Why is he such a great driver?
"I think Dave just wants it more than anything," Hanauer said. "He's really willing to do the work."
"Dave's got all of the traits of a great driver," said Steve David, "both as engineer under the mechanical aspects of the boat, and as a driver. Some people are good drivers but don't have the mechanical know-how. Others are the other way around. Dave is both."
Two things stick out on a first glance at Villwock's career -- he's compiled those wins in a short time (he started driving in 1992) and he started as a crew chief in unlimited racing, then drove. That's kind of the reverse pattern of most drivers: drive first, then crew chief.
It was Bill Bennett who first hired Villwock after a successful run in flat-bottom boats and inboards, and he wanted him to drive the Circus Circus back in 1989.
"I knew I didn't know everything about these things back then," Villwock said. "I said 'Mr. Bennett, you've hired me to win against some of the best drivers in the world. But if you want to win a championship, I suggest you hire Chip Hanauer.' "
Bennett did, and he made Villwock crew chief. A year later, the team won the national high points title.
"I got to live with Chip over the next two years, and I watched and learned what he did," said Villwock. "I learned a lot through that."
He also has been influenced by Danny Walters, who has worked with him on and off over the years.
"He taught me about perseverance," said Villwock. "He taught me to work through the problem. And he taught me about 'Refuse to Lose.' "
By 1992, he was ready to drive, and Ron Jones Jr. hired him to drive the Coors Dry, an experimental boat, at the San Diego race. He pulled off an upset victory in his very first unlimited race.
When he started racing against Hanauer, he felt he had an advantage.
"I knew Chip's playbook, but he didn't know mine," said Villwock.
But Erick Ellstrom, Villwock's current boss as the team manager of the U-16, says it's not just Villwock.
"What makes him a great driver? The team behind him," said Ellstrom. "That's the truth. And what makes the team so good is the driver. We prepare to run the boat fast. Dave has the ability to race the boat fast. Not every driver can do that."
Villwock will be the first to agree that a driver doesn't win a race by himself. It takes a team, and he's been on some good ones.
"I've been lucky," said Villwock. "Lucky to work with Bill Bennett and Circus Circus. Lucky to work with Fred Leland, a lifelong friend. We helped win a championship for Fred with Pico in 1996."
Then came an even bigger break, when Bernie Little hired him to drive the Miss Budweiser in 1997.
"I got Bernie at the perfect time," Villwock admitted. "I think he showed a different persona to the world at the time. If something needed changing, he'd call me and tell me to do it. Before I'd race he'd say, 'Just be careful. We don't have to prove anything to anyone today. Take care of yourself.' "
Little may have been gruff and tough to the outside world, but Villwock said it was different being on the inside.
"We spent time together with each other's families," he said. "He was a great guy."
A few years after Little died, the team disbanded. But Villwock eventually hooked up with another of the best teams in racing -- the Ellstrom family and a crew that has been together roughly 15 years.
"It's cool to win races, but being around all the team members, that's what I'll cherish most," Villwock said.
Villwock has seen the Elam team pull off some miracles with its work, none more impressive than the 2006 victory in the Tri-Cities in which he flipped the boat in a preiminary heat and the team got the boat put back together to win the final later in the day.
"First off, I was pissed off," he said. "It was my fault, and I thought, 'We just got through fixing this.' "
The team, under pressure, pulled off the rebuilding job.
It's being on teams such as this that makes for great memories for Villwock -- and why he's also one of the best at what he does.
"It's why you keep swinging the bat until they tell you, 'No, you can't anymore.' "